As many of you may know, far right wing talking head Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
I have as much empathy for this man as he publicly stated he had for others, but that isn’t the purpose of this post. I’m here today to break down what we know so far from my perspective.
Here are a few things that you need to know about me before I begin: I was raised in Texas by a doomsday prepping, gun loving man who taught me to find my way around a gun from practically the time I could walk. I then spent my first marriage with a man who loved guns arguably even more than he did. We even discussed entering long distance shooting competitions together as a sniper-spotter pair at one point. After I left him, I spent years learning how to get in and out of places so swiftly I learned to essentially disappear into thin air in broad daylight. Once I mastered that skill, I taught it to other people.
This shooter, whoever they are, is likely highly trained. They shot Kirk in the throat with a single, clean shot from a distance of approximately 200 yards at least from everything I’ve seen. No one else was hurt but Kirk, who was quite likely killed instantly.
I couldn’t have made that shot. I doubt my ex husband could have made that shot. We are both well trained, but not that well trained. There’s a difference between well trained and highly trained. This shooter is highly trained.
Additionally, police and the FBI did not catch the shooter at the event. They are still at large. Speaking from my experience getting in and out of places undetected, that is a skill set in and of itself, one that can be very difficult to master. So far, they have only caught “people of interest”. Statistically speaking, if they don’t have the actual shooter in their custody 24 hours after the shooting, they may never catch them, as most cases go cold 24 hours after the event if the perpetrator isn’t caught and is still in the wind by that time.
Finally, there was a high powered bolt action rifle uncovered near the scene with anti fascist and transgender ideology engraved in the ammunition. I worry for my community because it’s a pretty safe bet that there will be significant blowback for this, even if the FBI never catches the actual shooter. Right wingers will likely be out for blood and vengeance. Kirk was shot in the middle of spewing hate about trans people and alleged gang violence. His followers will likely be galvanized even more than they were before.
Please stay safe out there if you’re trans and a leftist.
Update as of 9/11/2025 8:28 PM Central Time:
It is now unclear whether or not there were any such engravings on the ammunition at all. The shooter appears to still be at large.
-Allēna
